wytte in the handes of Chryste and in euery of hys apostels mouthes and at that tyme it was not glorifyed And than he sayth that Chrystes body not beynge gloryfyed coulde no more be in two places at onys than hys own can And yet he goth after forther and sayth that no more it can neyther when it is gloryfyed to And that he proueth by y e sayeng of saint Austayn whose wordes be as he sayth that the body wyth whyche Chryste rose muste be in one place and that it contynueth in heuen and shall do tyll he shall come to iudge bothe quycke and dede And yet at the laste he proueth that the body of Chryste can not be in many places at onys For yf it myghte be in many places at onys thaÌ„ it myght he sayth be in all places at onys But in all places at onys he sayth it can not be therof he concludeth that it can not be in many places at onys And thus for thys impossybylyte of the thynge that ryseth vppon the comon lytterall sense of Chrystes wordes he is he sayeth of necessyte dreuen to fall from it vnto some allegorye whyche he confesseth that he wolde not do yf the playne lyterall sense were possyble But alas for the dere mercy of god yf we sholde leue the letter and seke an allegorye wyth the destruccyon of the lytterall sense in euery place where we fynde a thynge that â—eason can not reche vnto nor sâ— whyche waye it were possyble and therfore wolde take it for impossyble fayne wolde I wytte what one artycle of all our farth thys yonge man coulde assygne me spoken of in the scrypture from whyche hys reason shall not dreue away the strength of hys profe in makynge hym leue the lytterall sense wherin hys profe sholde stande and sende hym to seke an allegory that maye stande wyth reason and dreue awaye y e fayth where he shold byleue the leter and make his reason obedyent vnto fayth I meruayle me very mych why the consyderacyoÌ„ of this impossybylyte sholde of necessyte dreue this yonge man froÌ„ the playn open lytterall sense of Chrystes wordes spoken of the blessed sacrament syth so many good and holy men so longe to gyther thys .xv. C. yere haue byleued the lyterall sense well fermely coulde not be dreuen from it for any suche consyderacyon of suche impossybylyte and yet beyng as naturall men as wyse me as well lerned men as studyouse in the mater and men of more age more sure sadde and substancyall iudgement than thys yonge man is yet and men at the leste as lykely to se what were possyble and what were impossyble as this good yonge man is And therfore as for all his reasoÌ„s groâ—ded vpon impossybylyte syth I may be bolde to thynke as all those olde holy men haue thought and as all wyse men I wene yet thynke that no thynge is impossyble to god I esteme all those reasons very lytle worth How be it one thynge he bryngeth in by the waye that I wolde he hadde shewed in what place we myghte fynde it that is to wytte the sayeng of saynt Austayn For why to seke out one lyne in all hys bokes were to go loke a nedle in a medew But surely yf we maye se the place where the yonge man found it we shall I dowte not make a clere answere to it And yet euyn as hym selfe hath rehersed it y t sayenge maketh nothynge for the profe of hys purpose For saynt Austayne sayth no more but that the body in whyche Chryste arose muste be in one place and that it contynueth in heuen and shall do tyll the daye of dome As helpe me god excepte thys yonge man in these wordes of saynt Austayn se forther with his yoÌ„ge syghte than I can see wyth myn olde eyen and my spectacles I merueyle me myche y t euer he wolde for his purpose onys brynge theÌ„ in For whan saynt Austayne sayth that the body in whyche Chryst arose muste nedes be in one place he myghte mene by those wordes for any thynge that here appereth to the contrary not that hys body myghte not be in two diuers places at onys but that it muste be in one place that is to saye in some place one or other or that he muste haue one place for hys specyall place and that place must be heuen as we say god must be in heuen and angels muste be in heuen He speketh no thynge of the sacrament nor sayth not hys body wyth whyche he rose must nedes be so in one place that it can by no possibilite in ony mo Also thys worde muste whyche is in the laten tonge called oportet whych word saiÌ„t Austayne here vseth as thys yong maÌ„ reherseth hym doth not alwaye sygnyfye suche a necessyte as excludeth all possybylyte of the contrary For our sauyours sayde hym selfe to the two discyples Nonne haec oportuit pati Christum et ita intrare in gloriam suam was it not so that Chryste muste dye and so entre into hys glorye And yet hym selfe sayde also that he myghte for all that haue chosen whyther he wolde haue dyed or no. For hym self sayth that to departe with his soule and to take hys soule agayn bothe twayne were thynges put in hys owne power And the prophete Esay sayeth of hym He was offered vppe bycause he so wolde hym selfe And therfore thys latyn word oportet whyche saynt Austayn hath in that place is many ty tymes in the latyn tonge takeÌ„ not for full and precyse necessyte but for expedyent and coÌ„uenyeÌ„t And therfore it is traÌ„slated also into englysshe not onely by thys worde muste whyche yet sygnyfyeth not al waye an impossybylyte of the contrary but often tymes by thys worde it behoueth whiche worde sygnyfyeth that it is to be done for our behofe commodyte not that it can in no wyse be auoyded but y t it must nedes be And therfore syth all y e dreueth this yonge man from the lytterall sense is as he sayth the impossybylyte of Chrystes body to be at onys in dyuers places proueth that thynge impossyble by y e wordes of saiÌ„t Austayne that sayth no more but that it muste be in one place sayth not y t it maye be in no mo but one nor speketh not of any such necessyte wherof he putteth the contrary for impossyble nor speketh no worde at all there of the sacramente syth saynte Austayne I saye sayth no forther than thys I meruayle mych in myne hart what thynge thys yonge man seeth in hys wordes worthy y t bryngynge in for any profe of hys purpose And that ye may the more clerely se that saynt Austayne speketh here of no necessyte he not onely sayth that y e body of Chryst wyth whych he rose must be in one place but also he determineth that one place in whyche he muste be yf thys yonge maÌ„ reherse hym ryght that is to saye in heuyn there to contynue
blode in dede no more than that he ment that hym selfe was a very dore or a very vine in dede though for certeyne ê“pertees he called hym selfe bothe And he sayth y t Cryst ment in lyke wyse here not that it was or shold be his owne body hys blode in dede but y t it shold be to them vs as a remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of hym in hys absence as veryly as though it were his very body and his very blode in dede as y e pascall lambe was a token and a remembraunce of the passynge by of the lord and as a brydegrome gyueth his bryde a rynge yf he happe to go into a farre couÌ„tre from her for a remeÌ„braunce of hym in his absence and as a sure sygne y t he wyll kepe her hys faythe and not breke her hys promyse In good fayth it greueth me very sore to se thys yonge man so cyrcumuented and begyled by certayn olde lymmes of the deuyll as we nowe se y t he is when he is fayne for the defence of thys errour to flyt in conclusyon fro the fayth of playne and open scrypture so farre falle to the newe fangled fantasyes of folysshe heretykes that he wyll for the allegorye dystroye y e trewe sense of the letter in mayntenaunce of a newe false secte agaynste the hole trew catholyke fayth so fully confyrmed and contynued in Crystes whole catholyke chyrche thys .xv. C. yere togyder For these dregges hath he dronken of wyclyfe Ecolampadius Tindale and zuinglius and so hath he all that he argueth here besyde whiche .iiii. what maner folke they be is metely well perceyued and knowen god hath in parte with his open vengeaunce declared And euer hath god and euer wyll by some waye declare his wrathe and indygnacyoÌ„ agaynst as many as fall into suche damnable opynyons agaynst the blessed body and blode of hys onely begotten sonne From whych perylous opinyon and all his other errours y e great mercy of our swet sauiour call home agayne and saue thys yonge man in tyme. As for hys allegoryes I am not offended wyth nor wyth symylytudes neyther where they maye haue place though he take one of his neighbours hors as he doth and another yf he lyste of hys owne cow Prouyded alwaye for a thyng whyche he lyste to call lyke he myscoÌ„strue not the scrypture take awaye the very thynge in dede as he doth here Now his ensample also of hys brydegromys ryng I very well allow For I take the blessed sacrament to be lefte wyth vs for a very token and a memoryall of Cryst in dede But I saye that whole substaunce of the same token and memoreall is hys owne blessed body where as thys man wolde make it onely brede And so I say that Cryst hath left vs a better token thaÌ„ this man wolde haue vs take it fore and therin fareth lyke a man to whom a brydegrome had delyuered a goodly gold rynge with a ryche ruby ther in to deliuer ouer to his bryde for a token and than he wold lyke a false shrew kepe away that gold rynge and gyue the bryde in the stede therof a proper rynge of a rysshe and tell her that the brydegrome wold sende her no better or els lyke one that whan y e brydegrome had gyuen suche a gold rynge to hys bryde for a token wold tell her playne and make her byleue that the ryng were but coper or brasse to mynysshe y e brydegromys thanke If he sayed that the wordes of Cryste myghte besyde the lytterall sense be vnderstandeÌ„ in an allegorye I wolde well agree wyth hym For so maye euery worde almoste thorowe the whole scrypture callynge an allegorye euery sense wherby the wordes be translated vnto some other spyrytuall vnderstandyng bysyde the trewe playne open sense y t the letter fyrste entended But on the other syde bycause that in some wordes of scrypture is there none other thynge enteÌ„ded but an allegorye to go therfore and in another place of scrypture to take a waye wyth an allegorye the very trew lytterall sense as he doth here thys is the faute that we fynde in hym whyche yf it maye be suffered muste nedes make all the scrypture as towchyng any poynt of our fayth of none effecte or force at all I meruayle me therfore mych y t he is not aferde to afferme y t these wordes of Cryste of hys body and hys blode must nedes be vnderstanden onely by waye of a symylytude or an allegorye as the wordes be of the vyne and the dore Now thys he woteth well that though som wordes spoken by the mouth of Chryste wrytten in scripture be to be vnderstanden onely by waye of a similitude or an allegory it foloweth nat therupon that of necessite euery lyke worde of Christ in other places was none other but an allegory For suche kynde of sophisticacion in arguyng was y e very cauillacioÌ„ and shyfte that the wykked Arrians vsed whych lyke as thys yong maÌ„ taketh away now fro the blessed sacrament y e very body blood of Christ by expounynge hys playne wordes wyth an allegory vnder colour of some other places where such allegoryes muste nedes haue place were none otherwese ment so dyd they take froÌ„ Christes blessed person hys omnipoteÌ„t godhed and wolde nat grauÌ„t hym to be equale wyth almyghty god hys father but y e playne textes of scrypture whyche proued hys godhed they expouned wroÌ„ge and frowardly nat onely by some other textes that semede to say otherwyse but also as thys yonge man doth here by some allegories affermyng that he was called god and the sonne of god in holy scrypture by suche maner of speking or as thys yonge man calleth it by suche a maner of phrase as the scrypture for som propertie calleth certayne other persones goddes and goddes soÌ„nes in other places As where god sayth to Moyses I shall make the the god of Pharao And where he saith thou shalt nat bakbyte the goddes And where he sayeth I saye you be goddes and y e sonnes of the hygh god be you all And thus agaynste that y e Cryst was god and the sonne of god such cauyllacioÌ„s these Arrians layed in expownyng the playne places wyth false allegoryes resemblyng them to other places in whych lyke allegoryeâ— muste nedes haue place as thys yonge man by the necessary allegoryes of Crystes wordes vsed in the vyne and in the dore wolde in lyke wyse wyth lyke cauyllacyons as the Arryans vsed agaynste Crystes godhed pull away the trewe lytterall sense of Crystes wordes coÌ„cernyng the trouth of hys very body blode in the blessed sacrameÌ„t And surely yf this maner of handelynge of scrypture may be receyued and broughte in vre that bycause of allegoryes vsed in some places euery man maye at hys pleasure draw euery place to an allegorye and say the letter meneth no thynge ellys there is not any texte in all the scrypture but a wylfull person may
fynde other textes agaynst it that maye serue hym to tryfle out the trouth of goddes wordes wyth cauillacyons grounded vppon goddes other wordes in some other place wherin yf he maye be herde as longe as he lyst to talke be it but a woman yet shall she fynd chatte Inough for all an hole yere And so dyd those old ArriaÌ„s of whome god forbede y t thys yong man shulde folowe that euyll ensample If euery man that caÌ„ fynd out a new fonde fantasye vpoÌ„ a texte of holy scrypture may haue hys owne mynd taken and hys owne exposition byleued agaynste the exposicions of the old holy cunnyng doctours and sayntes than may ye surely se that none article of the christen fayth can stand and endure long For as holy saynte Hierom sayth of hym selfe if the exposition of other interpretours and the coÌ„sente of the commune catholyque church were of no more streÌ„ghte but that euery new man myght be byleued that coulde bryng som textes of scrypture for hym expouned as it pleased hym selfe than could I sayth thys holy man brynge vp a new secte also and saye by scripture that no man were a trew christeÌ„ man nor a membre of the church that kepeth two cotes And in good fayth if that way were allowed I were able my selfe to fynd out fyften newe sectes in one fore none y t shulde haue as moche probable holde of scripture as thys heresy hathe Agaynste which beside the comon fayth of all catholyque christen regyons the expositions of the old holy doctours and saiÌ„tes be clere agaynste thys yonge mannes mynd in thys mater as whole as agaynst any heresy that euer was hytherto herd of For as for the wordes of Chryst of whyche we speke touchyng y e blessed sacrameÌ„t though he may fynd som olde holy men that byside the lytterall sence doth expoune them in an allegory yet shall he neuer fynde any of theÌ„ that dyd as he doth now after wicliffe Ecolampadius Tyndale zuynglius deny the lytterall sence and say that Chryst meÌ„t nat that it was his very body and hys very bloude in dede but the olde holy doctours exposytours byside all suche allegories do playnly declare expoune that in those wordes our sauyour as he expressely spake so dyd also well playnely mene that the thing whyche he there gaue to hys dysciples in the sacramente were in very dede hys very flesh and bloud And so dyd neuer any of the olde exposytours of scripture expowne any of those other places in whych Christ is called a vyne or a dore And therfore it appereth well that y e maner of spekyng was nat lyke For if it had than wolde nat the olde exposytours haue vsed suche so far vnlyke fashyon in y e expounyng of them And ouer thys the very circumstances of the places in y e gospell in which our sauiour speketh of that sacrameÌ„t may well make open the difference of hys speche in thys mater of all those other and that as he spake all those but iÌ„ an allegory so spake he thys playnly menyng that he spake of hys very body and his very bloud besyde all allegories For neyther whanne oure lorde sayed he was a very vyne nor whanne he sayde he was the dore there was none that herde hym that any thynge merueyled therof And why for bycause they perceyued well that he ment not that he was a materyall vyne iÌ„ dede nor a materyall dore neyther But whan he sayed that hys flesshe was very mete hys blood was very drynke and that they sholde not be saued but yf they dyd eate hys flesh and drynke hys blood than were they all in suche a wonder therof that they coulde not abyde And wherfore but bycause they perceyued well by his wordes and his maner of cyrcuÌ„stances vsed in y e spekynge of them y t Cryst spake of hys very flesshe and his very blood in dede For ellys the straungenesse of the wordes wold haue made theÌ„ to haue taken it as well for an allegorye as eyther hys wordes of the vyne or of the dore And than wold they haue no more merueyled at y e tone than they dyd at the tother But nowe where as at the vyne and the dore they merueiled nothing yet at the eatyng of his flesshe and drynkynge of hys blood they so sore merueyled and were so sore moued thought the mater so harde the wonder so greate that they asked how coulde that be and went almoste all theyr waye wherby we maye well se that he spake these wordes in suche wyse as the herers perceyued that he ment it not in a parable nor an allegory but spake of hys very flesshe and hys very blood in dede Many other playne proues myghte a man gather vppon the cyrcumstances of the very textes where this thyng is spoken of in the scrypture but that it is not my purpose now to stycke in argumente of thys mater that is of it self so clere out of all questyon but onely a lytle to towche it that ye may se how lytle pyth and substaunce for hys mater is in all those ensamples of allegorye whyche wyclyffe Ecolampadius Tyndale Suingliê° haue brought out agaynst the blessed sacrameÌ„t wherwith those old shrewes haue wyth theyr false symylytudes pytuously deceyued eyther the symplycyte or the lyghtnesse of thys sely yonge man whych myght yf he had not eyther of lyghtnesse ouer ronne hym selfe or of symplenes ben deceyued or of pryde and hygh mynde in puttynge forth heresyes wyllyngly begyled blynded easely haue perceyued hym selfe that the mo suche allegoryes that he fouÌ„de in the scrypture in lyke maner of phrases or speche y e wurse is his parte the more clere is it that these places spekyng of the blessed sacrameÌ„t were playnely ment as they were spoken besyde all suche allegoryes For ellys hadde neuer bothe the herers at the tyme y e exposytours synnes and all chrysteÌ„ people besyde thys .xv. C. yere taken onely in thys one mater the playne literall sense beyng so strauÌ„ge meruelouse that it myghte seme impossyble and declyne from the letter for allegoryes in all suche other thynges beynge as he sayth as in dede they be so many farre in nomber moo How be it as for this poynt that an allegory vsed in some place is not a cause suffycyeÌ„t to make men leue the proper sygnyfycacyons of goddes worde in euery other place seke an allegorye and forsake the playne comon sense and vnderstandynge of the letter thys perceyued y e yonge man well inough hym selfe For he confesseth that he wolde not so do saue for necessyte bycause he seeth as he sayth that the comon lyterall sense is impossyble For the thynge he sayth that is ment therby can not be trewe that is to wytte that the very body of Chryste can not be in the sacrament bycause the sacrament is in many dyuers places at onys and was at the maundy that is to
styll vyto the day of dome But now I trow thys yong man thynketh not that saynt Austayne for all hys determynynge that Chrystes body in whyche he rose muste be styll in y t one place y t is to wytte in heuyn vntill the day of dome he meneth for all that that it is so faste bounden to abyde onely there but that he maye whan it pleaseth hym in the self same body be byneth here in erth an hundreth tymes before the daye of dome And good storyes are there testyfyenge that he so hath bene dyuerse tymes ere thys synnys the tyme of hys ascensyon And therfore thys yong man may perceyue playnely that saynt Austayne in those wordes thowgh he say that Chrystes body wyth whych he rose muste be in one place that ys to wyt in heuyn yet he mente no suche precyse necessyte as sholde dreue thys yonge man from the lytterall sense of Crystes wordes vnto y e allegory He ment not by thys worde it muste be in one place that is to saye in heuen that it muste so be in that one place tyll domes daye that it myghte in y e meane whyle be in none other besyde and that it muste be so of an immutable necessyte by no powre chaūgeable wherof the cōtrary were by no power possyble And therfore as for these wordes of saīt Austayne to thys purpose here I meruayle mych in good faith but yf he shewe more hereafter y t euer thys yonge man wolde speke of them Now as for hys naturall reasons be not worth the reasonynge For fyrste that the body of Chryste vngloryfyed coulde no more be in two places at onys thanne hys awne can bycause he is a naturall body as Christes was Christes body a naturall body as his is I wyll not examyne any cōparysōs bytwene theyr two bodyes But yf Chryste wolde telle me that he wolde make eche of bothe theyr bodyes too be in fyftene places at ones I wolde byleue hym I that he were able to make hys worde trewe in the bodyes of bothe twayne and neuer wolde I soo myche as aske hym whyther he wolde gloryfye them bothe fyrste or not But I am sure gloryfyed or vngloryfyed yf the sayde it he is able to do it whan our sauyour sayde that it was as possible for a camel or a great cable rope to entre thorowe a nedles eye as for a ryche man to entre into the kyngdome of heuen and after tolde hys apostles that though those two thinges were both impossyble to men yet all thyng was possyble to god I thynke that he ment that neyther the sample nor the mater was to god impossyble Now syth than at the lest wyse y t it is not impossyble for hym to conuaye the camel or y e cable rope thorowe the nedels eye what shall me nede to study now whyther he can brynge them thorow such as they be or ellys muste of fyne force be fayne to gloryfye the camel or the cable fyrste as thys yong mā sayth of hys body y t it were impossyble for god to brynge aboute to haue it in two places at onys suche as it is now bycause it is yet somwhat groce and vngloryfyed and than by the comparyson of his owne he argueth the lyke of the blessed body of Chryst beyng lyke his at his maundye no more gloryfyed that he But I say yet agayn of theyr bodyes both twayne yf he sayed that he wold do it I wold not dowt but he could do it And yf he coulde not do it but yf he glorified thē fyrst than were I sure that he wold gloryfye them both And ther fore yf it were trewe that he coulde not make hys owne body to be in two places at ones at maundy but yf it were than gloryfyed than syth I am sure that he there dyde it I am therby sure also that he than for the tyme glorifyed it For that thynge was in hys owne power to do as ofte as he wolde as well before hys deth as at hys resurreccyon yet to kepe hys gloryfycacion from perceyuynge as he dyd from his two dyscyples whyche for all his gloryfyed body toke hym but for a pylgryme And therefore as I saye yf Chryste sayd vnto me that he wolde make bothe hys body and this yong mannes to ech of them to be in a thousande places at ones I wolde putte no dowte therin but that by some maner meanes he were able inough to do it But here wolde thys yong man peraduēture saye ye say very well yf god so sayed and by hys so sayenge so mente in dede But ye wote wel I deny that he so mente though he so sayed For I saye that in so sayenge he ment but by an allegorye as he dyd whanne he called hym selfe a vyne and adore But nowe muste this yonge man consyder agayne that hym self confesseth y t the cause for which hym self saith that Chryste in so sayeng dyd not so mene is bycause that if he shold haue ment so it was impossyble for god to brynge hys menynge aboute that is to saye y t Crystes body myght be in two places at onys And therfore but yf he proue that thynge impossyble for god to do ellys he cōfesseth that god not onely sayd it but also mēt it in dede And yet ouer this yf Cryst had neuer sayde it yet dowte I no thing but that he is able to do it or els were there somwhat that he coulde not do than were god not almyghty Nowe yf thys yonge man wyll saye that to make one body to be in two places dothe imply repugnaunce and that god can do no suche thynge I dare be bolde to tell hym agayne that many thynges maye seme repugnant both to hym and me whyche thynges god seeth how to make them stande to gyther well inough Suche blynde reasons of repugnaunce induceth many men in to greate errour some ascrybynge all thynge to destyny wythout any power of mannys free wyll at all and some gyuynge all to mannes owne wyll and no forsyghte at all vnto the prouydence of god and all bycause the pore blynde reason of man can not se so farre as to perceyue how goddes prescyence and mannes free wyll can stande and agre togyther but seme to thē clerely repugnant And surely yf the semyng of our owne feble reason may dreue vs onys to thynke that one man to be at onys in two places is a thynge so harde so repugnaūt and therfore so impossyble that god hym selfe can neuer brynge it aboute y e deuyll wyll within a whyle set vs vppon suche a truste vnto our owne reason that he wyll make vs take it for a thynge repugnaunt and impossyble that euer one god sholde be thre persons I wote well y t many good folke haue vsed in thys mater many good frutefull exāples of goddes other workys not onely myracles wrytē in scrypture but also done by y e comō course of nature here in